Creativity is the Immune System of the Mind…

Continent Chop Chop director Amanda Huxtable recently invited contributions for her Pearl’s Project with Huddersfield Literature Festival. Inspired by Maya Angelou, Amanda’s call was for people to share their pearls – “something you have kept with you ever since you first read it… a line from a novel, a poem or non fiction. It’s precious, it’s powerful. It leaves nothing unsaid in only a few words. Words powerful, strong and as precious as any pearl could be”.

Here’s mine that I hold dear from good friend, writer, artist and founder of Artists in Mind, John Holt:

“Creativity is the immune system of the mind and the source of the mythic.”

This aphorism speaks to me of the power we have as human beings to navigate our experiences of joy, anger, hate, love, trauma through the use of art.

It’s been proven to me many times how the act of picking up a pen, paintbrush, dancing, singing, to communicate thoughts that are bubbling in our heads is a healing act.

An act that can help us and others to better understand our world.

And this quote speaks to the fact that our created myths are fundamental to how we live, with creativity and story being core to our very being.